Names to Know: Japanese Brands

Our eclectic brand mix hosts some up the most established and up and coming Japanese labels around. With new AW17 deliveries coming in thick and fast we thought now would be a good time to revisit a few favourites. A relentless collection of ‘Made in Japan’ craftsmanship, high quality fabrics and Americana-inspired detailing; it’s some of the best gear around that’s for sure.

Visvim is an eclectic Japanese label specialising in footwear and casualwear using premium materials and unmistakable, timeless design. This high-end brand was founded by Tokyo-based designer Hiroki Nakamura in 2000 drawing inspiration from his exotic travels during his youth. Visvim blends Americana-inspired workwear, rare vintage fabrics and obsessive attention to detail. The resulting product mixes modern and traditional craftsmanship that truly has a global aesthetic. Explore our Visvim collection here, featuring the iconic, Native American-inspired FBT and Ballistic backpacks.

Tokyo-based Neighborhood was founded in 1995 by motorcycle enthusiast, Shinsuke Takizawa. The label played a vital role in the ‘Ura-Harajuka’ movement, subsequently changing the face of contemporary streetwear. Its offering is a mix of cool, luxury streetwear inspired by military, the outdoors as well as different aspects of the US counter-cultures using techy designs and premium construction. Neighborhood was established out of a desire for well-designed, high quality motorcycle apparel; Takizawa was quite simply unsatisfied with the offering back in the 90s. The brand holds a cult status by a small hardcore motorcycle subculture community in Japan but is equally admired all over the world. Shop our latest Neighborhood offering here.

Manastash are successfully producing some of the best possible outdoor clothing and streetwear using eco-friendly, sustainable materials such as hemp, pertex eco, primaloft eco and recycled fleece. The brand is named after a 50 mile stretch of mountains in Washington, USA where it was established but have since moved to Tokyo, Japan. Explore the latest collection from this fresh, environmentally-aware, outdoor-orientated lifestyle brand here.

Nanamica was founded in 2003 by Eiichiro Homma and currently lead the way in the high-performance, high-tech outerwear category. The brand combine classic aesthetics with performance driven technology and construction which in turn, creates the most effortlessly cool, high spec outerwear. Expect a diverse range of jackets from parkas to trench coats and much more. Nanamica often use technologically superior fabrics like Gore-Tex, Pertex and Cordura; allowing us to stay dry without having to wear or carry big, bulky, unappealing coats. Its most recent development was using a highly innovative, 100% cotton Gore-Tex, which is proof that Nanamica is leading the high-performance outerwear field. Our next Nanamica delivery is due in September, but for now, have a look at our current offering.

Established in 1999, Beams + is the in-house menswear label from Japanese fashion house Beams. The brand harks back to humble beginnings when, in 1976 it opened its first retail space in the Harajuka district of Japan. Nowadays, Beams + are a contemporary menswear label led by Shinuske Nakada who drives its unique, heavily inspired heritage and workwear apparel featuring post-war American classics. The ‘Made in Japan’ craftsmanship ensures that the quality is as good as it was back in the old days, only updated for the modern era. See our latest Beams + offering here.